Fashion

[caption id="attachment_15248" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption] It‘s fitting that Paul Hardy‘s spring/summer 2013 collection is a coming-of-age story, as it also marks his 10th anniversary in the business. Dozens of fashion editors and bloggers from across Canada joined some of Calgary‘s most stylish citizens for a day-long celebration that culminated in a dramatic 40-minute runway presentation of 60 looks at Hardy‘s new design studio in a renovated warehouse in Calgary‘s Inglewood neighbourhood. “I‘m so thrilled that everyone is here to celebrate with me,” Hardy said earlier in the day at a brunch at Calgary‘s River Café, where he thanked his family, current and former interns and even his Grade-7 teacher, who flew in from his hometown of Winnipeg for the festivities. “When I was in junior high, Irene never wore the same thing twice,” he said with a laugh. “She really inspired my career in fashion.” A few hours later, we got a good sense of how those early fashion ambitions have materialized. Titled “Breaking
Amish,” the runway show was divided into eight chapters (each carefully paired with live music) that told the story of a nameless girl who decides to leave her colony to discover the glamour of the big city—only to become disillusioned before eventually finding her own balance in life.
[caption id="attachment_15259" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption] “My collections always have a theme or a story,” Hardy told me post-show. “The reason I didn‘t name the girl is because I think we can all relate in some way. We all come from a sense of innocence or some sort of a reverent tradition and then go through a period of brokenness that leads to a reconciliation where we must marry our past with the struggle of finding our own identity.” The idea of an Amish theme came to Hardy when he was at the fabric trade shows in Paris. “I was meeting with our embroiderer, and there were some motifs on ribbons that looked like
necklaces. I was looking at them upside down and I was imagining them as the Amish bonnets with the ties.” In Chapter 1: “Down to the River to Pray” (also the title of the accompanying song), the opening looks were simple, soft and innocent (a sky-blue peplum top and patchwork sheaths) and featured raw edges with long, loose threads. The show notes indicated that the girl “flees the colony in vestments from off the drying line.” [caption id="attachment_15250" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption] But, as she reaches the city (Chapter 4: “NYC”), the looks evolve with a mix of contrasting textures (there was lots of lithe black leather) and layers—both are signature Hardy elements—and more intense colours, including a pop of tangerine. [caption id="attachment_15252" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption] In Chapter 5: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” the girl gets caught up in the glitter of the city‘s “speakeasy world of prohibition,” and the coats and dresses gain volume and shine, including a significant hit of bling. A floor-length champagne-coloured sheer gown embroidered with swirls of crystals and sequins earned a round of applause from the audience. Several silvery-jewel-encrusted black-ribbon necklaces also made an appearance as the show progressed. [caption id="attachment_15253" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption] By Chapter 8: “Nimrod,” the girl is “renewed and softened by embracing the truth of who she is,” according to the show notes, and you could see this in the clothes. An airy nude layered dress worn over a matching corset incorporated some of the innocence of the first looks—but also retained a hint of the sophistication that followed. [caption id="attachment_15254" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption] What really set the show—and the chapters—apart was the live music, which included covers of songs like the Civil Wars’ “Kingdom Come,” Johnny Cash’s “For You” and even a moody version of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” performed live by Canadian country music star Paul Brandt, along with his wife, Liz Brandt, and fellow musicians Greg Sczebel, Peter Barbee (from Among Savages) and a quartet from the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. [caption id="attachment_15255" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption] Hardy often uses music as part of his design process, and the song lyrics were almost perfectly in sync with the storyline. “We did a lot of research to select the music,” he said. “I had known of the songs before and I was able to piece it together like a puzzle. It was almost eerie how well the songs were able to tell the story.” Brandt, who has enlisted Hardy to create his on-stage looks, was thrilled with the energy in the room at his first fashion-show gig. “I love that Paul has such a clear artistic vision,” Brandt told me. “Paul’s been to New York and Paris and done the whole international thing, and then has come back to Calgary, like I have. He has an uncompromising vision for his art, and he‘d rather create it in a vacuum and bring people to him. We have a lot of that in common, so it‘s been a great collaboration.” Hardy believes his biggest strength has been his ability to listen to his clients over the years. “I’ve worked really hard to do that, and I want to maintain that consistency going forward,” he told me—right as one of his regular clients, Calgary media personality Joan Crockatt, rushed up to put her claim on a sequined back cowl top from the show. “If I don’t speak up now, it will be gone!” she gushed. “There are five things I want, but that’s top of my list.” Like his collection’s nameless Amish girl, Hardy, it seems, has found the balance he craves. But, unlike this muse, Paul Hardy’s name will be known for some time to come. [caption id="attachment_15257" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Phil Crozier, PHOTOPHILCRO"]
[/caption]

Frank + Oak and the NBA team up on Raptors merch

Trends

Frank + Oak and the NBA team up on Raptors merch

Canadian fashion label Frank + Oak is always up to something, and tomorrow the Montreal-based brand will drop a 9-piece Raptors collection in collaboration with the NBA. The pieces that make up the line are directional, minimal and best of all—unisex. The pieces include a crisp Oxford shirt patterned with a subtle team logo, a heather grey waffle knit mock-neck and a leather backpack. The coolest piece might be the two-tone pop-over shirt. The Oxford's mock-neck collar and mix of materials offer a completely new take on fan gear. Even fair-weather fans (hey, no judgement) will be tempted by this sleek collab.

The collection will launch tomorrow online and at Frank + Oak's Queen West and CF Sherway Gardens outposts as well as the Real Sports Apparel shop at the Air Canada Center. The brand is set to release merch for 5 more NBA teams in 2017. Until then, go Raptors, go!

Celebrity

Gigi Hadid is going on a social media cleanse

Celebrity

Gigi Hadid is going on a social media cleanse

Gigi Hadid and Instagram are about to go on a break. The model recently revealed she'd be taking some time off from the social-media site after the holidays.

"I'm taking a month off, actually, during New Years. I'm not deleting my account, I'm just taking the apps off my phone," she told ELLE US of her social-media hiatus. "It's empowering, not just for people in the spotlight, for everyone. At the end of the day I'm choosing what I'm showing you. A lot of the world feels so entitled to other peoples' lives, which is so crazy. I'm going to take a break when I feel like it, and when I come back and share it with you, if you want to be supportive and still follow me, that's great. But, if you're going to be upset that I need to be human for a month, than maybe I don't want your follow anyway."

While we'll miss her killer feed – which includes her slaying the Victoria's Secret runway, arm in arm with beau Zayn Malik (see below), and #ootds in some of the coolest athleisure we've ever seen, we get it.

Gigi is not the only star to take a break from the 'gram this year. Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Selena Gomez also chose to detox from the app. "It has gotten to the point that people won't even say hi to me or recognize me as a human," Bieber wrote on Instagram before deleting his account, "I feel like a zoo animal, and I wanna be able to keep my sanity."

Olivia Munn just made a major hair change

Hair

Olivia Munn just made a major hair change

Actress Olivia Munn debuted a major hair change for the premiere of her new film, Office Christmas Party. Hairstylist Christian Wood chopped off a casual 12-inches of hair before her red carpet appearance. See below for the entire processs:

Everything you need to know about the changes to the Instagram comments section

Art & Design

Everything you need to know about the changes to the Instagram comments section

We all know how fun Instagram can be. The comments section though...not so fun. The social media platform (finally!) is working to change all that. Here are the three biggest updates it's rolling out.

1) You can turn comments on and off for individual posts–even after you've posted. One of your posts not getting the love you thought it would? Shut those comments off. Change your mind a few days later? Switch them back on. A few accounts already have this feature, but soon it will be rolling out to everyone.

2) In the past, those with private accounts could only delete followers they'd already approved by blocking them. Now, you can simple remove them as a follower and no, they won't get notified that you did. Think of it as the unfriending of Insta.

3) And now for our favourite update: You can finally like other people's comments! Just tap the little heart icon to show the commenter some love. According to the blog post announcing the new features, being able to like comments "lets you show support and encourages positivity throughout the community."